The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for lighting. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adjustable lighting fixture utilizing light emitting diodes (LEDs) to produce highly controlled and highly customized lighting.
In the current state of the art, the light projected from a fixture is often characterized in terms of the pattern of light as viewed on a target area; this is often referred to as the beam distribution type, beam type, or beam pattern. Beam distribution types are well known in the state of the art and are well defined and standardized by various organizations (e.g., the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)).
Various light source types (e.g., HID, LED) can produce a given beam type via use of optical elements (e.g., reflective or refractive lenses). With LEDs, for example, a fixture may comprise a plurality of LED light sources, each light source coupled with an optic such that the composite beam (i.e., the collective of each beam projected from each LED) is of a particular beam distribution type. One example of this in the current state of the art are THE EDGE™ fixtures—available from Beta Lighting Inc., Sturtevant, Wis., U.S.—which use an array of identical NANOOPTIC™ refractors to produce a specific beam distribution type.
One disadvantage to such current art approaches is that the designed optics are only useful in producing a single beam type; they must be modified or replaced if a different beam type is desired. In the case of LEDs, this can require the modification or replacement of dozens of optics. Additionally, such fixtures afford little flexibility; a type II beam pattern (as defined by IES) may be sufficient to illuminate a target area but if the target area changes (e.g., the area to be illuminated is increased, the target area is moved), or the lighting needs change (e.g., spill light needs to be eliminated, glare needs to be controlled), the beam type may no longer be appropriate for the application. Of course, the fixture itself may be adjusted about a particular axis to positionally shift the projected light, but this will not significantly change the beam type.
The current state of the art may benefit from improved design of lighting fixtures such that projected light from said fixtures may be customized to produce beam patterns beyond those which are well defined and standardized in the industry. Further, the art may benefit if the components of lighting fixtures may be made modular such that components may be switched in and out onsite to facilitate fast, easy, and cost-effective customization of a projected beam type. Thus, there is room for improvement in the art.